Friday, July 13, 2012

Jungling: The First Clear

The first clear is the most important for every jungler in the game. A first clear that goes smoothly sets the jungler up for either further farming or starting their ganking spree. If it goes poorly they can spend every moment up until the mid-game attempting to catch up. It's for this reason that so much time and effort is spent devising the best jungle setups.

The importance of this first clear has come into sharper focus as jungling trends shifted from focusing on farming to focusing on ganking. For the greatest success chance on the gank it's critical that the jungler emerge from the jungle as quickly as possible, with as much health as possible, and using boots or an offense-oriented item. Junglers lacking in the ability gank early are now considered uncompetitive in most cases.

It's for this reason that potential junglers such as Jayce do not become common. Despite having many other tools which are of considerable use in the jungle, Jayce fundamentally lacks the ability to clear the jungle safely early, making it impossible for him to gank early with anything but Cloth Armor or a very slow clear. Any jungler who is can't be ready at a moment's notice to gank or cover a lane is not worthy of the label.

For all of the changes to make the new jungle easier, the bar has simply been raised further. It's no longer enough to simple clear the jungle, nor is it even enough to clear it safely. Today's junglers are required to be quick, safe, and versatile from the very first minute. Picking a jungler who is not is placing a handicap on yourself.

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